Sunday, 29 September 2013

Chapter 4 of Keys to Drawing is called “The Illusion of Light”. It is primarily about using light and shadow to model an object.

The goal is to draw an object that appears 3-dimensional and solid. This is the same as the objective for modelled drawings in The Natural Way to Draw (see The Last Post for an example). The intention is the same, but there is a major difference between the approaches:

In Keys to Drawing, Bert Dodson emphasises the accurate observation of light and shadow

In the Natural Way to Draw, Kimon Nicolaides uses an imagined physical contact with the subject as the basis for modelling (see Modelled Drawing)

The chapter is the usual well-balanced mix of text and exercises. As well as explaining the basic drawing techniques, it also includes advice about using light and shadow to create mood and interest in a picture.

I struggled with the exercises when I first tried them in 2009, but this time they were much more enjoyable. In exercises 4C and 4F I deliberately sacrificed accurate proportions and drawing a likeness to give myself more time to focus on the modelling.

There is no picture for exercise 4D. Dodson suggests this is more of a long-term project. It involves drawing (or painting) the same landscape in three distinctly different lighting conditions. I am planning to have a go at this in the next few weeks.

Sunday, 22 September 2013

Analysis of Reproductions - DarksBased on "The Arch of Titus in Rome, before restoration carried out by Valadier" by Canaletto
20 September 2013
Graphite Pencil on Paper
10cm x 13cm (4" x 5")

This is a long overdue post – “Composition from Reproductions” and “Analysis of Reproductions” are probably the only exercises from the Natural Way to Draw which haven’t appeared on this blog.

Composition from Reproductions involves drawing small gesture studies from reproductions of works of art. Kimon Nicolaides instructions are:

“Allow the eye and the pencil, more or less at the same time, to roam in a rather easy and casual manner wherever the movement, lines, forms, darks and lights seem to beckon, with no attempt to delineate their meaning either with your pencil or in your mind.”

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Earlier in the year, Elaine and I had a wonderful holiday on the Isles of Scilly. We stayed in Hugh Town – the largest town on St Mary’s (the largest island). The islands are unique. They remind me of small tropical islands with beautiful scenery and fantastic beaches, but this is juxtaposed with old English villages and a mixture of Mediterranean weather and Atlantic storms. They seem very relaxed because there are virtually no cars and the only way for visitors to get around is by foot and by boat.

This is the bell on top of the Garrison Gate in Hugh Town. We walked around the garrison walls on our first day. This was one of our Mediterranean weather days. We walked around the rest of the island in our waterproofs on one of the more typical British weather days.

They involve memorising a shape and drawing it on a piece of tracing paper. The shape for week 7 is the outline of a pelvis and the image for week 8 is the outline of a vase. Both images include 3 reference lines and 3 reference dots that serve as an aid for the memory.

The instructions are the same as for the previous weeks:

Copy the reference lines and dots on to piece of tracing paper.

Study the image for a few minutes

Hide the image and try to draw it on the tracing paper

Once you have finished drawing, put the tracing paper over the image to see how well you have done and correct your drawing

The next night, repeat the process, starting with a review of your drawing from the previous day

The image of the pelvis for week 7 is so difficult you are allowed to add 3 more reference marks towards the end of the week. The vase for week 8 is simpler, but the additional challenge is you are only allowed to study it for 2 minutes each night.

Studio Rousar Memory Drawing - Week 7 Day 4

The exercises take a diversion in weeks 9, 10 and 11. Instead of memorising shapes, you memorise tones. The instructions are similar: study a row of squares of varying tones for a few minutes, hide the source image and try to draw the shaded squares.

You are allowed to study the photo for 10 minutes before hiding it and trying to draw it. My best effort is at the top of the post. My drawings improved each night. It was interesting to see how much more I could remember with each attempt.

Dodson’s sighting strategies are some of the “methods” that Kimon Nicolaides glosses over in his instructions:

“You may use any and all methods at your command to arrive at the correct proportions and the posture, even to the extent of measuring how much higher one point is than another and the angles and distances that are created from point to point.”

I've included a couple of drawings from when I first read Keys to Drawing in 2009. The new drawings are more detailed and they look more realistic - the gesture is more accurately observed and they seem three-dimensional. This is what I learnt from The Natural Way to Draw and what I wouldn't have worked out for myself in two and a half years of unstructured drawing practice.